Previously, many types of devices have been used to provide shading for a vehicle's driver and passengers from the sun or other reflective sources. Almost all automobiles and trucks available today utilize opaque sun visors, which are included as standard equipment. Prior art has attempted to extend the utility of some sun visors by improving the basic design with additions such as a transparent auxiliary glare shield or a screen located beneath or at the side of the existing standard visors. The reason for these additions is that while most visors perform adequately, it is advantageous for a vehicle to have a means by which a driver may alter the placement of a visor in order to reduce bright glare that originates from a location other than directly in front of the vehicle.
Attempts to achieve this utility have included visors with and without clip-on glare screens that pivot or slide downward beneath the visor or that swing down from a rotating joint that extends to the desired distance and are held in place by friction of the joint. Other devices position a screen inside the visor which can be pulled down, or add a side section that can slide horizontally from the visor. While these devices do solve part of the problem, they are limited in that they typically function adequately in only two positions--either in front of the person or to the side parallel with the door, depending on whether it is the driver or the passenger.
Obviously, it would be beneficial to provide a sun visor that could be moved and positioned as needed, depending on the locations from which the brightness or glare originates. For example, one of the most frequently occurring, as well as dangerous locations is at an angle of approximately 45.degree. to the left side of a driver. With most current visors it is not possible to provide a sufficient block from this angle.
A search of the prior art did not disclose any patents that read directly on the claims of the instant invention, however the following U.S. patents are considered related:
U.S. PAT. NO. INVENTOR ISSUED 4,323,275 Lutz April 6, 1982 4,792,176 Karford December 20, 1988 5,472,255 Moore December 5, 1995
The U.S. Pat. No. 4,323,275 patent discloses a housing attached to a visor with three auxiliary shields that may be withdrawn from slots in the visor.
The U.S. Pat. No. 4,792,176 patent discloses a visor extension unit that is releasably attachable to a conventional sun visor. The unit includes a lateral visor extension panel which is movable through a horizontal guide passage in the visor extension unit so as to effectively increase the windshield area blocked on either side of the sun visor. A glare shield is movable through a separate pocket formed in the extension unit.
The U.S. Pat. No. 5,472,255 patent discloses a sun visor which has a retractable sun screen. The screen is folded or rolled up into the visor for deployment beside the front window as well as the windshield.
For background purposes and as indicative of the art to which the invention relates reference may be made to the remaining cited patents.
 PATENT NO. INVENTOR ISSUED 5,580,117 Goclowski December 3, 1996 5,466,029 Zetterlund November 14, 1995 4,988,139 Yamada January 29, 1991 4,828,314 Gavagan May 9, 1989 4,679,842 Hwang-Change July 14, 1987 3,208,792 Martin September 28, 1965 2,134,414 Norcross October 25, 1938 l,806,059 Hoople May 19, 1931 l,573,272 Phillips February 16, 1926